Friday's letters: State's pending budget cuts

Friday

Jan 14, 2011 at 12:01 AM

History is full of ironies, big and small. While reading the Herald-Journal's Friday edition, another irony came to mind: Forty-seven years (almost to the day) after Lyndon Johnson initiated his administration's “War on Poverty,” Herald-Journal reporter Jason Spencer wrote a story on the latest pending state budget cuts, many of which may once again affect South Carolina's young, old and poor.

History is full of ironies, big and small. While reading the Herald-Journal's Friday edition, another irony came to mind: Forty-seven years (almost to the day) after Lyndon Johnson initiated his administration's “War on Poverty,” Herald-Journal reporter Jason Spencer wrote a story on the latest pending state budget cuts, many of which may once again affect South Carolina's young, old and poor.The Palmetto State is by no means the only one facing severe deficits, but by curtailing funding for state Medicare payments and public education, it would wage a mostly under-the-radar war — not on poverty but on the poor.If you or someone you know wants to take a stance against balancing budgets on the backs of the vulnerable, go to www.scstatehouse.gov and follow the links to your elected representatives. Tell them you've had enough historical irony.Don RollinsSpartanburg

Hardly a day goes by that I do not read in your newspaper about another convenience store being robbed. Often, the nightly TV news shows a clip of a robbery, with the hooded robber leaping over the counter and emptying the cash register while a terrified clerk looks on, praying not to be killed or beaten by the hoodlum.

One common denominator for many of these bold robberies is the fact that the perpetrator is often hooded, wearing a ski mask or wearing headgear that covers his or her facial features. Why? Not only to avoid recognition by the clerk or customers but also to avoid the vigilant eye of the store's security camera as it quietly records the chaos under way.All businesses should erect a sign at the entrance stating that customers are prohibited from entering the establishment wearing a hooded garment, a ski mask or any other garment or headgear covering the face. Then, if a robber ignores the warning, I think the penalty for the robbery should be increased. Businesses should not be required to buy the signs. They should be made and erected by prison inmates who are serving time for having committed a robbery.Like the “No concealed weapons allowed” signs that are found at door fronts, these signs should be prominently displayed. They may help deter robberies. If nothing else, having such a sign posted at the door may alert the clerk and others of an impending robbery if someone wearing such attire ignores the sign's message and enters the store.Otis LivingstonColumbus, N.C.